The airline industry has grounded more than 11% of its jets in dusty airplane boneyards, mostly in New Mexico, Arizona and California. Planes from all corners of the world end up here, but U.S. airlines have led the way, clipping the wings of 800 aircraft since mid-2008, according to London-based Ascend Worldwide Ltd. That’s a fleet far bigger than AMR Corp.’s American Airlines’ 626 jets (plus 47 in storage).

More are coming — jets are being parked at a rate of about 30 per month this year. And the drop in international business travel has prompted the mothballing of wide-body jets.

What happens in aircraft storage fields may ultimately lead to fewer cheap tickets for consumers. By aggressively removing seats from service, airlines have better matched capacity to weakened demand, enabling them to fly through this recession with more financial stability than in past downturns.

In what appears to be another example of slack demand leaving aircraft unused, an eagle eyed Terminal editor spotted this Associated Press item on the Airbus A380, one of which will be on display at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2009, an airshow run by the Experimental Aircraft Association. Only 13 of the planes have been made, according to the AP, and different carriers including China Southern and Air France have delayed delivery of some of the jets, as demand for travel flags …